The Secret Of The Altar
by Illuminati14
Summary: After defeating Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter and his friends hope for a peaceful year at Hogwarts with less drama. But then, Draco Malfoy's mysterious twin sister comes into the picture, with secrets to be revealed. How will she affect their lives? DM/HG
1. Prologue: I open at the close

**THE SECRET OF THE ALTAR**

Summary :

_After defeating Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter and his friends hope for a peaceful year at Hogwarts with less drama. But then, Draco Malfoy's mysterious twin sister comes into the picture, with secrets to be revealed. How will she affect their lives? Why is Stubby Boardman teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts? To know what happens in this tale, read 'The Secret Of The Altar', and find out how this mysterious twin sister plays matchmaker between her brother, and Gryffindor's Golden Girl, Hermione Granger._

**Author's Note : We are absolutely delighted to bring you this story on May 2nd, i.e International Harry potter Day, and of course, the 14th anniversary of Voldemort's downfall and the Wizarding Victory Day. J.K Rowling is the Queen and we do not claim rights over anything.**

**Also, this happens to be our first story! We hope you'll enjoy it!  
**

**PROLOGUE : _"I Open At The Close."_**

It was a lovely, sunny afternoon at Wiltshire. Far away, in the huge property of Malfoy Manor, albino peacocks strutted about like aristocratic rulers, in a huge garden filled with carpets of green grass and a variety of magical plants.

In this garden, the flowers were so beautiful and attractive, that any Muggle would be hypnotized by them. There were flowers that glowed after dark, right until dawn. There were flowers that changed their colours according to the time of the day. Some of them were musical and played soft and melodious tunes, some even better than Beethoven.

There was a walking path in this garden. It led to the doors of the handsome manor. At its other end, there was an empty path, where all magical folk would apparate to and from the manor, because of the anti-apparition wards placed inside the manor.

Suddenly, two soft pops could be he heard, and two people appeared – a boy, and a woman.

The boy, who was the taller of the two, walked past the magical flowers briskly, while the woman who appeared to be his mother, ran behind him, calling after him. "Draco, listen to me!" called the woman.

She was slim, with a pale, haughty face, and long, blonde hair. Her features were almost regal. She tried to maintain a steady expression, but her eyes betrayed her. They were almost silver, and held a feeling of anxiety. The boy ignored his mother, and walked faster.

"Draco, I want you to listen to the whole story. I know that you're upset about why I lied to you about her. But let me explain!" called the woman.

The boy, Draco, finally stopped at the entrance of the manor, turned to his mother, and gave a stiff nod. "Let's just go inside, Mother." said Draco, impatiently.

When the woman reached the door, it opened, and a little house-elf stood at the door. "Master Draco, Mistress Cissy!" squeaked the house-elf, "Tibby has prepared lunch and wants to know if Mistress and Young Master is wanting to have lunch now! Master Lucius is already at the dining room with Mister Snape!"

Narcissa Malfoy nodded. "It will do, Tibby. We will be at the dining room in a moment." Tibby bowed and disappeared with a 'crack', while Narcissa and Draco, after getting refreshed, came to the dining room. They saw the two men seated there.

"We apologize for our delay, Lucius, Severus," said Narcissa to the two me, "I'm afraid Draco was being… a bit difficult."

"A bit difficult?" snapped Draco, "If you tell me, out of nowhere, something like this, when we're supposed to be mourning for hers and Aunt Bella's losses, you'd expect me to just, silently believe that?"

"Now, now, Draco," drawled Lucius Malfoy, "She has her reasons, and has already confronted me about it. After listening to her entire story, I gradually accepted it. I see no reason for you to behave so atrociously."

"I apologize, Mother," said Draco, stiffly, after a short while. His mother nodded and said, "Alright, lets settle things before I begin." Narcissa sat beside her husband, while Draco sat beside the tall, pale man, who had dark hair that reached his shoulders.

"Professor Snape," nodded Draco, "It's a pleasure to see you here."

Severus Snape nodded before saying, "Heard the news then, Draco?"

Draco tried to maintain a calm face as he said, "Yes, of course. I was just informed by my mother, here, that my supposedly 'dead' twin sister, Arabella Nigelle Malfoy, is actually alive."

**A/N: And that's all for the first chapter, readers! Sorry about the length, we promise to keep it bigger than this, next time.  
**

** We'll keep updating soon, but some reviews would be surely appreciated! *smiles***


	2. A New Beginning

**A/N Thank you for the fabulous response to chapter one! It's really awesome to get a thumbs up on our first story So, here it is, the second chapter of The secret Of The Altar! From now on, the story will be through Arabella's perspective. Here's something that you should know about her. Etymology of Arabella Nigelle Malfoy : Ara = Altar ; Bella = Bellona, the goddess of war ; Nigelle = from Phineaus Nigellus Black. Arabella, or Ara as she is fondly known, is everything that a Black family descendant is. Strong, independent, intelligent and a big prankster. A student of Beauxbatons till her sixth year, she's lived half her life in Paris. Read on to know more! We hope you enjoy this character as much as we enjoyed creating her, for it gave us moments of joy, when we were wallowing in despair during our final exams :P**

**A New Beginning **

Finally the day had arrived. Dawn smiled upon the 1st of September, 1998. The sun shone with all its might over the horizon. Birds could be heard chirping in delight. The wind blew serenely over the countryside of Wiltshire. A new chapter was about to begin in my life. A new life at Hogwarts awaited me. The wizarding world's teens were to begin their seventh year afresh.

For the first time, in the glorious history of Hogwarts, there were going to be two sets of seventh years. After a lot of cajoling, my parents agreed to send me to Hogwarts to complete my last year at school, and of course, I couldn't be happier. I would finally strut around in Hogwarts robes, and above all, attend the same school as my brother.

"Wake up Ara! ", he yelled, and playfully punched me. Gotta get even with him. "It's no longer French Standard Time. I will leave you right here if you delay me!" he said, and went off to get dressed.

Downstairs, it was pretty chaotic. Mother was instructing Tibby, our house-elf, to prepare sweets and fruit cakes for our journey. She then furiously hovered around me, to ensure I packed well for Hogwarts. It gets really crazy when you have two kids getting ready to leave for school. Father was already seated at the dining table, catching up with the news in the wizarding world.

Draco came as well. I looked up at him with a devilish grin. With all the years we spent apart, he still has to learn to read my facial expressions. There was a shiny new box near his plate on the table. Of course, I told him that Mother had kept that for him, as a gift before his seventh year. Poor guy.

He opened the box, to find a fire cracker explode in his face! "Gotcha!", I said , with an evil grin. "Bloody hell! You're so immature Ara! Father, look what she did to me." He squeaked, in a frightened voice. Just then, Mother came in. "Bella, when will you stop your pointless tricks? Be responsible. You're going to Hogwarts now. Don't make me change my mind about sending you. Finish your breakfast and get dressed.", she said sternly. I scowled at Draco. Breakfast continued without much fanfare, and then we left for King's Cross.

King's Cross Station, was one of the busiest stations in London. Muggles were scurrying to board trains. The noise was infernal. Trains honked before leaving the platforms, Trains in Paris seemed way better. A few first years arrived at the station with their owls and cauldrons on display for Muggles. Dimwits. Obviously, they were met with stares from Muggles.

Father and Draco stopped at the entrance, to speak to Blaise Zabini's family. Mother and I walked ahead. Heads turned, and tongues wagged, as soon as people saw Narcissa Malfoy enter platform 9 ¾, with a girl, i.e. me, who resembled her in every way. Well, Draco and I had the same blond hair like Mother, I was almost as tall as her, and inherited her pale and haughty face. People were whispering stuff to each other, and stared at me from head to toe. Obviously, my existence was more of a secret, with me living in Paris. And to tell you the truth, the Malfoy's were a pretty reclusive family in the past few years.

Sweat began to break out on my forehead. I agree, we did not have a good reputation of late, but the icy stares bothered me. Father and Draco came along. Draco was fuming. As soon as he reached us, he burst out in anger.

"Mother! Did you see how these people are staring at us? And still you want us both to go to a place where we will have the whole school, and those mud blood loving teachers pointing fingers at us?" , he blurted.

"Draco, be quiet." Said Mother.

"Narcissa, take them both to the train," said Father. I shot glances at Draco.

"Do you always get stared at like this? You should have been nicer to people at your school! Darn. Hogwarts for me doesn't seem to be such a good idea now." I sighed.

"Shut up! I can't put up with people if I can't agree with them. You know that. It's their problem Not mine. Don't bug me Ara." , he said.

"Alright, alright." I said.

Just then, Pansy Parkinson arrived. I had never met her before, but she seemed pretty stuck up to me at the first glance.

"So… you must be Arabella." , she said, while glancing at me from head to toe. "Muggle robes, eh? Fancy seeing you at Hogwarts. _This_ is the Hogwarts Express by the way," she signaled. "What animal did you get along ?..." She rambled on, without even introducing herself.

Sigh. I wonder if my brother had hurt himself on his head or probably was high on something when he met this girl and befriended her.

"Look Patty, or whatever you are called." – I interrupted her. "I've not been living under a rock all these years. I know what the Hogwarts Express is. We have better trains in Paris. Heard of the TGV? Wait. Of course you haven't. And this shirt is Gucci, by the way." I replied.

Pansy looked as if she had been run over by a truck. She scowled at me and stormed off. I'm glad she did! Draco went after her, like a dog follows his master. Ugh. I turned to search my parents. They seemed pretty worried. A few seconds later, I figured out why.

The Weasley's (figured it was them, as I saw 'an army of redheaded, freckled faces' in Draco's words.) Redheaded boy walked close to Harry Potter. It was Ron Weasley. No wonder my parents got worried. After that, people avoided us like the plague. People gathered around them, like flies take to a jar of jam. Everyone jostled for a glimpse of Harry Potter and the Weasley's. They were pretty famous after the war, no doubt. And the Malfoy's conveniently became the bad boys.

Draco came and stood next to me as they passed by, as if he were trying to protect me. I definitely heard snide remarks being passed by those twins. For a while, I wondered if they really were as nasty as Draco says. Their mother reprimanded them, but she too gave a puzzled look in our direction.

A little ahead, they were joined by a bushy haired girl, with her parents. I think she was that Hermione Granger. Draco often mentioned her at home. Aunt Bella called her 'mud blood'. And, she got tortured _pretty _bad at our mansion. Our parents came up to us and really tried convincing us that people don't hate us. Not that we believed them. Deep inside, they knew it too.

Draco nudged me and signaled me to look at Harry Potter and his friends. It was a no brainer that they were talking about us.

"What the – Malfoy has a _twin _? Great. So now there are _two _of them." Said a disgruntled Ron.

"Shut up Ron! They are looking at us," Said Hermione, and then she hit him hard on the shoulder.

Soon it was time to leave. We walked to the train. Draco led me to an empty compartment and sat with me, inspite of being the Slytherin prefect. I almost ran out of there when I saw Pansy walk in. She sat right next to Draco and started babbling again, while he listened quietly. My stupid brother. I took a spot near the window and waved goodbye to our parents as the train rolled out of platform 9 ¾ . They really looked worried after what just happened. Mother was teary-eyed. But I think those tears were of both, joy and sorrow. Sorrow, obviously to see her family being frowned upon. And joy, for watching me and Draco start afresh. Her unfulfilled dream of seeing us both off at King's Cross was now a reality. It meant that all was well. "Goodbye Mother! Goodbye Father! I yelled excitedly. Train picked up speed, and soon we passed acres and acres of lush green countryside. The train chugged along the tracks as we passed tunnels and mountains. The countryside exuded calm and serenity. It brought a smile to my face. Surely, the start to my Hogwarts sojourn was not so pleasant. If you'd put together the cattiness of all the girls at Beauxbatons, you'd still fall short of the vibes we felt today. But then I looked across the compartment and saw my brother. The smile that he flashed was reassuring. We were finally going to school together, like any other siblings, and that's all I ever wanted. The Malfoy Twins were on their way.

**A/N Yeah so that's it from chapter two ! We hope you like it, and please don't forget to review us! In the next chapter we bring you Arabella's first day at Hogwarts. We hope to post it soon Mischief managed!**

**We'll also answer to your questions in the next chapter! For now, let's just say, we're fans writing a Harry Potter fanfiction, the way we would've liked it to be. *smiles*  
**


	3. An Eventful Evening

_A/N:-We do not own anything except this plot, and of course, Arabella Nigelle Malfoy! Enjoy this chapter!_**  
**

An Eventful Evening-_[Chapter 3]_

It was dark when we reached Hogwarts. As we got off the Hogwarts Express, I saw the 'Golden Trio', along with three others, one of who was the Weasley girl I'd seen at the platform, earlier. Another girl, with long dirty-blonde hair and pale eyes, looked dreamy. She wore an interesting pair of earrings. Radishes. Hmmm...I suppose this must be the 'loony' girl, my brother had once mentioned during the journey. That left a tall boy with dark hair, who seemed like puberty recently hit him. His face was round, but more mature than Nick Carter's. He seemed nervous, but a little bit of bravery could be noticed in him. He was holding a strange potted plant. His face looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out who was this strange boy.

"Whom are you staring at, Ara?" came Draco's voice from behind me. He walked quickly and was soon besides me. He followed the direction of where my eyes previously were. His eyes widened. "Were you just going moony-eyed over Longbottom?" he asked, clearly baffled.  
"Oh! He's Longbottom?" I said, mildly surprised, "Didn't you tell me that he looked like a toad? I believe you need to get your vision checked, brother. It's your side-kick, Goyle, who looks like a toad. This guy, almost, looks hot!"  
Draco's lips became thin but he didn't argue for once, which meant that I was right. But I swore I could hear him mutter, "Wait till father hears about this," which I chose to ignore.

We walked towards a carriage, which seemed to be horse-less. Strange. Draco and I got on it and we were soon joined by Blaise Zabini and, to my utter dismay, Pansy Parkinson.  
"Drakie!" screeched Pansy, "Where did you disappear off to?"  
Draco looked disgusted, while Blaise and I smirked identically as we heard him mutter, "Away from you."  
"I'm sorry, what?" asked Pansy, in her annoying voice. Merlin! This woman will make me deaf even before we reach the castle! I decided to play saviour.

"What my brother means, Panny-Patsy-whatever your name is, is that he was in a hurry. And I would be most certainly obliged if you could lower your screech, before I get permanently deaf."  
I could see Draco fighting back a smirk, while Blaise snorted. Very quiet one, Blaise is. Pansy, however, scowled at me. "I hope you get sorted into Ravenclaw, away from me and Drakie!" she hissed.  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever Pugkinson," I shrugged.  
Blaise and Pansy howled, but for opposite reasons and very conveniently, the carriage began to move. I wondered how it did so, but preferred to keep my comments to myself, especially in 'present' company.

Our ride to Hogwarts was very short and silent. We were at the gates and I looked up to see a silhouette of a huge castle. Like wow! I must see this during the day! As we entered, I saw two of the staff members. One was Professor Snape, as we've got to call him here. The other was a stern-looking, old witch wearing rectangular glasses and a pointed hat. She considered me for a fraction of a second.  
"Ah, this must be Miss Arabella Malfoy," the witch said, "welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall. I've received all your academic details and I was very pleased with your records at Beauxbatons. I hope you have a satisfactory year at Hogwarts. Kindly meet me outside the great hall after your sorting."  
Saying that, she walked towards the castle, in a dignified manner, but something about her reminded me of a cat. Strange! Within seconds, all I could see was the hem of her dark velvet robes.

I didn't stop to admire the beauty of this fine castle, which certainly looked stronger than Beauxbatons. As we entered, I realised the need for thicker clothes, than what I used to wear back at France. It was colder here. This castle had some different kind of magic here. It felt like I was at home.

Draco cleared his throat, loudly. I looked at him and realised that I actually stopped at the entrance of the Great Hall to look around, while Draco was already inside the Great Hall.  
I smiled faintly and turned to walk towards him. I quickly scanned all tables and found the Slytherin one. This lot didn't seem to be of my type. Weird!

After we made ourselves comfortable at the Slytherin table, I turned towards the table where all professors sat. I caught Professor Snape smiling at me, as if trying to reassure me. It sure looked creepy on him but never mind. The great hall was filled with chatters from all students. I looked up, and stared in awe, at the enchanted ceiling. It was a dark cloudless evening, with millions of stars.

Suddenly the hall went dead quiet and I heard a sharp intake of breath from Draco. His face was horrified at the sight before him. I turned to look at the source.

It was Professor Albus Dumbledore! Merlin's beard! But how?

I now understood why Draco looked paler than he normally did. Dumbledore, dressed in robes of midnight blue, walked towards the head's table and soon reached Professor McGonagall, who looked like she'd faint with happiness. Dumbledore turned to look at all of us, and I noticed his twinkling blue eyes, filled with wisdom.  
I couldn't help but smile back, when he caught my eyes and smiled.

"But...how?"  
This was from Harry Potter, who stood up at the Gryffindor table, astonished but with a hint of childish innocence and wonder.  
"That, Harry, is a tale for yet another day," replied Dumbledore, calmly.  
I could hear mutterings around at our table too.

"Let's begin with the sorting," said Professor McGonagall, as she began to read out names from a long scroll, standing close to a small stool with an old, pointed hat on it.

"Arrow, Alec."  
A young boy, short with brown hair, went forward, nervously. He almost tripped. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head.

"Must be a Mudblood," snickered Pansy Parkinson.  
"Watch your dirty tongue, Pugkinson," I shot back, "I'm sure he's got more brains than you, anyway."

Pansy shot a 'wannabe-ish' dangerous look at me, which made me yawn. This annoyed her, furthermore.  
"Draco! Why don't you-" she began, but Draco cut her off. "She's older and right. Shut up, Pansy."  
She made a 'humph' sound and pouted. Ugh. A pug trying to pout? Never mind, I'll skip dinner.

"Gryffindor!" said the hat, suddenly, and I almost jumped.

The boy, Alec, happily walked towards the Gryffindor table. The Gryffindors did look like they had a jolly good time, though slightly obnoxious. Again, Hermione Granger did not. She seemed really admirable. I wonder why my brother wasn't friends with a pretty and intelligent girl like her, who was brave too, from what I've heard.

At last, the last first year, a Zoe Zeller, got sorted into Ravenclaw. I swallowed. This was it.

McGonagall nodded towards me and cleared her throat before she began, "This year, we have a new student, a transferred one, I must add. She will be joining the seventh years, but before that, she will be sorted to one of the houses. I hope, wherever she may get sorted, you will welcome her as warmly as you welcome our first years."

I shivered slightly and Draco squeezed my hands affectionately. He quietly said, "See you back here, soon."

"Malfoy, Arabella", she finally said.

I heard whispers from around, sounding like, "Did she say 'Malfoy'?" which I ignored, as I walked towards the stool on which the sorting hat was placed. McGonagall placed the hat on my head, after I sat.

It was a bit strange. I heard the hat's voice inside my head.  
"Ah, another Malfoy," said the hat, "you're the first one I haven't sorted, immediately. I've been waiting for you, young Malfoy."

"But, why?" I whispered back.

"I knew about your existence because I saw you in your brother's head. Now, my job is to sort you in to the right house. Your mind is certainly intriguing. You do possess certain qualities of a Slytherin... but I must say you are well suited to be a Gryffindor."

I gasped.  
"I don't know! Please help me out! I wanted to go to Slytherin, but..."

"But Sirius Black had changed your mind, hadn't he?"

"How d'you-?"

"It's all in your head, Miss Malfoy," said the hat, amused, "I don't think you would do that well in either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff as much as you'd do in Gryffindor. I would have sorted you into Slytherin immediately, if I hadn't seen the bravery and the noble mind of a Gryffindor, which you happen to possess."

I gulped, slowly. Bloody hell...

"So I'm sure, you know that, I shall put you in... _GRYFFINDOR_!" The last word was for everyone to hear.

I closed my eyes tightly, tried to calm myself down and ignore the reactions I dreaded to see...

_A/N:-We sincerely apologise for the delay in publishing this chapter and we assure you, that we don't like to keep you waiting! We'll post the next chapter as soon as we can! We do hope you enjoy how this story unfolds. There are a lot more to come! Like we said before, some reviews would be surely appreciated!_


	4. Aftermath

**Chapter Four** **- Aftermath**

_**A/N: We do not own anything except the plot and Arabella Nigelle Malfoy.**_

I gasped for breath, along with almost everyone in the Great Hall, when the Sorting Hat chose me to be worthy of being a Gryffindor. My heart beat fast, with loud thuds. I felt like slapping myself to stop the dizziness in my head. I had just been sorted into Gryffindor. A _Malfoy _in _Gryffindor. _I froze, oblivious to the everyone's reactions. "Now, Miss Malfoy, will you walk up to your house table," said McGonagall. " Uh yes, madame." I said, my nervousness completely visible in my words. I took baby steps towards the Gryffindor table, knowing that every damn person in the room stared at me, like I was a piece of chicken thrown to hungry lions. Especially Ron Weasley.

"Blimey! We gotta be careful from now on, I 'spose, or else this Malfoy thing will leak out all our secrets to her disgusting brother." Dean Thomas made sure that he had said that loud enough for everyone to hear. I stood at the table for a good five minutes. No one budged an inch to give me a seat. My eyes scoured the Great Hall for my brother. I felt a knot in my stomach, thinking how angry he must be at the moment. I suddenly felt 100% vulnerable. I was sorted into a house, where everyone hated my family's guts. And I was supposed to spend the whole year in their dormitory.

Finally, professor Dumbledore intervened. He cleared his throat and said, "Potter, Weasley, would you mind giving this young lady some place on your table ? After all, she's your housemate now." Miss McGonagall gave Harry and Ron a very grim stare. Hermione Granger hesitatingly moved, and I sat next to her, making no eye contact with anyone. I felt like a fish out of water.

Professor Dumbledore began addressing us. "As you can see, we have begun our new year at Hogwarts. A second birth indeed. We have all been through tough times in the past months. Some, more than others. But during these tense times, we have also learnt who our true friends and enemies are. People, who seem to be the weakest links, turn out to be the saviours of the day," and he gave a warm smile in Neville's direction. I remembered how Draco narrated the entire story of how Neville turned out to be a courageous or rather 'badass' guy, and not the wimp he imagined him to be.

Dumbledore continued, "There might be people, whom we still hold grudges against. But life has given us another chance. Here we are, all gathered under the magnificent roof of the Great Hall, starting afresh. So let the feast begin!" With a swish of the wand, our plates were filled with the most delicious food, painstakingly prepared by the house-elves. Ron Weasley began eating before anyone else. A chicken leg in each hand, interrupted by sips of pumpkin juice. As soon as he finished those, he ripped the roast turkey into bits. Cranberry sauce smeared all over his face. I had never seen anyone eat in such a disgusting manner. One more incident that convinced me that the Weasleys completely fitted Draco's description.

"Ronald Weasley. Would you please wipe off that sauce from your face and eat in a manner that seems human? Or is it too much to ask?" said Hermione. Ron didn't even look up at her, and mumbled with a mouth full of pie, saying "Er-my-knee, im 'ungry so lef me eav today., and cleaned the sauce off his face using his robes. Hermione shot a death stare in his reaction and muttered something under her breath, looking at his table manners. I could swear that the word 'pig' featured.

Professor Dumbledore stood up again, when we were almost done with supper. His eyes were locked on the doors of the Great Hall. Just then, that Filch guy came in, yelling, "He's here! He's here!" "Well, then send him in," Dumbledore said.

Professor Dumbledore's face lit up as soon as a man entered. The entire room fell silent, as the doors of the Great Hall creaked while opening. There was absolute silence. So much so, that the man's footsteps were audible. A tall, slim, and rather handsome man entered the Great Hall. His hair was longish, and blond. His eyes were pure hazel. Girls began whispering to each other as he passed by their tables. Ginny Weasley had a starstruck look on her face. She whispered to Hermione, "If Greek gods ever existed on this planet, they would surely look like him," to which Hermione delightfully agreed.

Ron scowled at her, but she didn't care. The man looked dapper dressed in a smart, black suit, like the Muggles wear, and looked every inch like a celebrity. His walk exuded confidence. He flashed a grin when he passed the Gryffindor table, at which Hermione and Ginny gasped. Dumbledore greeted him like an old friend, with a warm handshake.

He then announced, "Students, I present to you, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Stubby Owen Boardman! This is his first time, as a teacher, so sincerely I hope, you co-operate with him in his efforts to satisfactorily teach you the subject."

"Professor Stubby. How on earth are we to concentrate on studying in class with such a professor?" said Ginny, excitedly.

"Hermione, don't you think this name sounds a tad bit familiar?", said Harry, confused. But Hermione was too busy listening to Stubby Boardman.

"Hello there, students. It is a great honour to begin my teaching career at Hogwarts. I ensure you that I will do my best to equip you'll in learning how to defend the Dark forces in our world, and above all, I'm pretty sure I'll last beyond a year," he said with a wink, at which everyone chuckled.

"I hope he doesn't turn out to be a git, like our previous D.A.D.A professors. I'd be so disappointed," said Hermione. Ginny was lost in gazing at him, and was overheard saying that she would study extra hard, to impress him in the N.E.W.T's.

I somehow mustered the courage to look at the Slytherin table. Pansy 'Pugkinson' who was sitting with her bunch of Slytherin girl-pals, which included Daphne and Astoria Greengrass and Millicent Bulstrode, shot this evil grin at me. If I had a free guilt-pass, I'd have used the Cruciatus curse on her. Or the Imperius and make her do something very, ah, _'interesting'_. I smirked to myself.

Theodore Nott and Goyle levitated a paper rocket at Draco. His sullen expression darkened, further. The next moment, the paper reached me. I realized why Draco reacted that way. It said "Have fun hanging out with the Mudbloods and Blood-traitors, Malfoy!" I then looked back at Draco. He was very disturbed and hadn't touched his food at all. Seeing him in distress was hard for me. He had just began recovering from the stress in the aftermath of Voldemort's downfall. He didn't deserve it. I slumped down in my seat, drowning in an ocean of guilt. But I suddenly felt a tap on my back, and it straightened instantly. Wondering who tapped my back, I turned.

_**A/N: And that's all for this chapter, folks! The next chapter will get more interesting. **_

_**We hope that this chapter was worth waiting for. Due to certain problems like examinations and a short vacation, we were unable to post this chapter, earlier. However, we promise that the wait for each chapter will be worth it. **_

_**Don't forget to send reviews, we need to know how we're doing so far! That would definitely decrease your wait for the next chapter! *Hint!* *Smirks***_

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